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Yogurt 101

The other day I was at JKF about to board a flight to Los Angeles when I spotted almond milk ‘yogurt’ for sale alongside traditional dairy yogurt. I had to smile because in January I blogged about healthy food trends for 2012 and the growth of plant-based dairy was one of them. These days, in addition to a variety of milks I’ve been seeing more dairy-free yogurt options. But because most of us don’t make our own yogurt I’m often asked about yogurt in general, like ‘what is yogurt anyway?’ And, ‘how do you make yogurt out of say, soy or almonds?’

In a nutshell, yogurt is made by adding bacteria to milk, which ferments some of the carbohydrate. This reaction produces lactic acid, the substance responsible for yogurt’s texture and tang. Any type of ‘milk’ can be used, from cow or sheep’s milk to non-dairy soy, almond, and coconut milks. Here’s how they compare:

Greek

Greek yogurt is super hot, mainly because it packs about twice as much protein as traditional yogurt. That’s because Greek yogurt is strained through a filter to remove the whey (liquid), giving it a thicker consistency and more protein per bite.

Skyr

This Icelandic yogurt is becoming the new Greek. Technically a soft cheese, skyr includes the same basic ingredients: skim milk and live active cultures. It’s made using a centuries-old straining process that removes the liquid, which makes it very thick (seriously, stick a spoon in it and turn it upside down—it won’t fall out). Because of the removal of fluid, one cup of skyr requires three to four times the amount of milk needed to make a cup of traditional yogurt.

NutritionA single serve container of plain, nonfat skyr like Siggi’s provides 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, 5 grams of carb, 15 grams of protein and 17 perent of the daily value for calcium. The ingredients are pasteurized skim milk, live active cultures, and vegetable rennet (to help coagulation).

Soy

Soy yogurt starts with soy milk. Aside from being dairy free for those looking to eat less animal protein, soy yogurt may offer some unique benefits. A study published in the Journal of Food Biochemistry looked at how different kinds of yogurt helped control diabetes. They found that soy yogurt was particularly effective at blocking enzymes that impact carbohydrate digestion, which results in a slower, steadier rise in blood sugar after a meal. And a recent animal study found that rats fed soy yogurt had healthier livers and lower cholesterol levels. The downside is it’s difficult to find an unsweetened soy yogurt, and because they tend to be thinner in texture thickeners are often added.

Almond

Almond milk yogurt starts with almond milk, which is made from whole ground almonds and water. While it’s delicious it’s also nutritious because almond milk retains the important nutrients naturally found in almonds, including antioxidants, heart healthy fat, fiber, vitamin E, and minerals like magnesium. Like soy yogurt, it’s also difficult to find an unsweetened version, and you’ll generally see thickeners in the ingredient list.

Coconut

Coconut yogurt starts with coconut milk, which is pressed from the delicious white meat of the coconut with water added. The milk captures some of the good coconut fat, which has been shown in some recent research to help lower bad cholesterol and reduce belly fat. It also contains antioxidants similar to those in berries, grapes, and dark chocolate.